Warburtons heads baked goods in top 10 FMCG list

Lesley Foottit
· 18 May, 2015

Warburtons heads the top British FMCG brands

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Four of the top 10 FMCG brands are baked products, with Bolton-based bread giant Warburtons leading the way.

Other British baked favourites include McVitie’s, Hovis and Kingsmill in third, fourth and fifth place respectively. Kantar Worldpanel’s 2015 Brand Footprint ranking measures which brands are being bought by the most consumers, the most often.

Warburtons has seen its products picked an average of 25.2 times a year by 85.7% of the population. New products including its ‘extra special’ premium loaves and increased popularity of its ‘thins’ range have helped increase the frequency that consumers buy Warburtons by 2.1% compared with last year. This growth in loyalty has helped Warburtons to secure the top position in the ranking for the third year in a row.

In third place is another British success, McVitie’s, which was bought 14.7 times a year by 88.8% of the population. The brand has seen a 5% increase in purchase frequency, which has pushed it closer to its nearest rival, Heinz (16.3 times by 91%), which came second. In fourth place is Hovis (16.0 times by 74.2%), followed by Kingsmill (14.4 times by 75.5%) completing the top five brands.

In the worldwide Brand Footprint ranking, first place is held by drinks giant Coca-Cola. However, the success of domestic brands means it is the only brand in the global top 10 to make it into the British equivalent, where it sits in ninth place, said the report.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, said: “It has been an excellent year for British brands, which have beaten a number of major global names as consumer favourites. All the domestic brands appearing in the top 10 have worked hard to secure their positions in the ranking through targeted new product development and attention-grabbing marketing campaigns.

"Some of the most successful have been playing to their British strengths. Hovis, for example, has focused on promoting its commitment to using 100% British wheat where possible, and has seen its products bought 8.8% more frequently than last year – the greatest increase in the top 10.”